Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) Lowered to Hold Rating by Wall Street Zen

Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a research note published on Friday.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup reaffirmed a “market outperform” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, November 12th. Cantor Fitzgerald restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a report on Wednesday, November 12th. Piper Sandler started coverage on Esperion Therapeutics in a research report on Tuesday, November 25th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $9.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “sell (d-)” rating on shares of Esperion Therapeutics in a research report on Wednesday, October 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, one has issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Esperion Therapeutics has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $7.20.

Esperion Therapeutics Stock Performance

NASDAQ ESPR opened at $3.14 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $750.65 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.28, a PEG ratio of 6.47 and a beta of 1.04. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $3.59 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $2.74. Esperion Therapeutics has a 52 week low of $0.69 and a 52 week high of $4.18.

Esperion Therapeutics (NASDAQ:ESPR) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The biopharmaceutical company reported ($0.16) earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of ($0.09) by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $87.31 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $78.33 million. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Esperion Therapeutics will post -0.29 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Esperion Therapeutics

In related news, CFO Benjamin Halladay sold 7,337 shares of Esperion Therapeutics stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 17th. The stock was sold at an average price of $3.67, for a total transaction of $26,926.79. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer owned 467,525 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,715,816.75. This trade represents a 1.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In the last three months, insiders have sold 15,543 shares of company stock valued at $55,709. Company insiders own 1.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Esperion Therapeutics

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. boosted its stake in Esperion Therapeutics by 209.2% in the 3rd quarter. DHJJ Financial Advisors Ltd. now owns 9,430 shares of the biopharmaceutical company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 6,380 shares during the period. North Star Investment Management Corp. bought a new position in Esperion Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at about $25,000. Sivia Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Esperion Therapeutics in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Vanguard Personalized Indexing Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Esperion Therapeutics during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $33,000. 47.39% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

About Esperion Therapeutics

Esperion Therapeutics, Inc is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on the discovery, development and commercialization of oral, low–density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)–lowering therapies. The company’s research and development efforts center on small-molecule compounds designed to address atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease by targeting cholesterol biosynthesis pathways. Esperion seeks to provide novel treatment options for patients who require additional LDL-C reduction beyond what is achieved with statins or who are statin-intolerant.

The company’s lead products include NEXLETOL (bempedoic acid), an oral adenosine triphosphate–citrate lyase (ACL) inhibitor approved by the U.S.